Brave Like You (Steve Harrington)

Five.

-Candace-

I watched Steve as he exited the bus. He was going after whatever that thing was to protect all of us from whatever it is out there. "What is that thing?" I ask Dustin.

"It's what killed my cat," he said, speaking rather calmly.

"What?" I nearly hissed, "What do you mean? I thought we were looking for Dart?"

"We are," he says, "That thing is Dart, and he ate my cat, Mews. You've officially seen too much, and we can't let you leave until we know it's safe. Just know, that thing ate my cat and we're here to kill it. I'm sorry we lied to you."

I nod, understanding slightly, but I still felt like there was so much he wasn't telling me, but I think I had an idea. "Does that thing have anything to do with what happened to that Byers kid last year when he went missing? My brother always said that he thought there was more to it than him just wandering off into the woods alone."

"Well, your brother is right, but you can't tell him that," He said, speaking very fast, "The less people that know the better."

I nodded, letting him know I understood. Max and Lucas came down the ladder then, and Max asked, "What is he doing?"

"Expanding the menu," Dustin responded, acting like it was no big deal.

We all kept an eye on Steve through the bus windows. Max said what we were all thinking, "He's insane."

Dustin replied, also somehow saying what we were all thinking, "He's awesome."

Steve swung his bat side-to-side as he walked through the mist. Lucas suddenly removed his binoculars. "Steve! Watch out! 3 o'clock! 3 o'clock!"

Steve turned to see more of these creatures coming towards him. Dustin ran to the bus door and opened it yelling, "Steve! Abort! Abort!"

Steve looked in his direction for a second. One of the creatures dives at him, and Steve dodges it by rolling over a car's hood. He whacked one of them with his bat. He ran for the bus as fast as his feet could carry him. We closed the door as soon as he was back onto the bus.

The creatures were trying to get into the bus now. Max was looking up at the open hatch at the top of the bus. She screamed when she saw one of those creatures looking down at her. This thing, whatever it was, looked like an alien. It didn't look like a bear, or a dog, or any other kind of animal you see in the woods. It looked like it was from another planet.

My suspicions that these things were otherworldly were proven correct when this goddamn thing's face opened up and he growled at Steve as he approached it holding his bat ready to strike. Then, the most odd thing happened. It just decided not to attack us anymore. It just leapt off the bus and ran off with all of the others of its kind.

We sat there in silence while we caught our breath. Suddenly I couldn't keep quiet anymore. "What was that?"

"You don't want to know," Steve said.

I was stern with him, standing up formyself as I said, "Yes I fucking do, Steve. No more lies. What were those things?"

We all walked off the bus then, and Steve led the way to where his car was parked. "She already saw way too much, Steve," Dustin told him as we walked. "I already told her the truth about Mews."

Steve sighed, "Alright, fine, if you guys want to tell her the truth, then you guys go ahead." Steve looked at me, his stare ice cold and hardened. "You can't tell a single soul, okay?"

I nod, "I promise."

The two younger boys told me all about what happened last year when Will went missing. How there's an anti-Hawkins directly underneath us that they call the Upside Down. It is Hawkins, but with creatures and monsters and no people. That's where those things have come from. Will Byers was taken from one of those things, except those that we just saw were baby versions of them and they get much bigger and scarier.